Change is objectively uncomfortable for almost everyone.

There are those people who thrive on change for change’s sake. However, the majority of us find comfort in our routine, in sticking with what we know.

In many cases, we will stick with “what we know to be true” even long after “what we know” is no longer true or relevant. Simply because it is “the way we’ve always done it.” This mindset can be downright dangerous when applied to really any aspect of our lives, particularly in business.

In business, the inability to change is equivalent to living with a parasite. Sure, you’re still walking around, likely even feeling somewhat normal and healthy. But in reality you are dying a slow death without taking care to eradicate it. If you are operating a business using the same procedures and policies you did 10 or 15 – heck, even 5 – years ago, you are indeed dooming your business to obscurity.

Also consider your professional career. In my experience, no leader is in the position they are in today because they simply did exactly as they were told. You career can only truly develop through your ability to proactively solve business problems and innovate procedures and policies. Without a willingness or ability to innovate, you end up being stuck wherever your boss puts you, without influencing the outcome of your own growth.

Innovating and instigating change is not easy, nor is it for the faint of heart. My recent experiences in implementing organizational change has opened my eyes to the importance of creating an innovation culture. We already know that change and innovation is tough, but when an organization has been living in a “this is the way we’ve always done it” mindset for a long time, it becomes even more difficult to make necessary changes. In this case, it becomes very important to use great change management skills to achieve short-term goals in parallel with creating an innovation culture to achieve the long-term company strategy.

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About Tammy Berberick

As Crestcom’s CEO and President, Tammy is an accomplished leader with a track record of developing and leading transformational change within organizations.

Crestcom International, LLC is an international leadership training organization that focuses on growth. Crestcom partners with organizations to facilitate leadership growth, which results in real, bottom-line business growth.

Tammy received her undergraduate degree and MBA from the University of Denver. She also practiced as a CPA in Colorado. Tammy has served on several boards including, Florence Crittenton Services of Colorado, Women’s Vision Foundation, and the Girls Scouts. She is a past recipient of the Denver Foundation’s Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer of the Year Award, Colorado Women’s Leadership Coalition’s “Women Leaders of Excellence Award” and was previously named one of the “Top 50 Working Hispanic Women in the Nation” by Hispanic Business magazine.